We are six months into Sainsbury’s ‘Good Food For All Of Us’ pledge. And with the help of New Commercial Arts and in-house talent, the UK’s second-largest supermarket chain has launched its latest campaign across OOH.

You’ll remember that the focus of the ‘Good Food For All Of Us’ campaign when it debuted across TV, Press, Radio, OOH and Cinema, as well as digital advertising on social media was to broadcast their new promise. Sainsbury’s wants to offer food of a good standard for all customers, whatever their budget, tastes or dietary requirements, and however busy their daily lives are.

So their latest aspect of out-of-home spotlights their healthy supplier relationships. Why is this important? 

The University of Oxford published a paper with the help of the EU. They say, “Consumers are the final link in food supply chains which are increasingly international. The processes and dynamics operating along such chains affect consumers in both positive and negative ways.” 

The study highlights that “Over at least 30 years, supermarkets in developed economies round the world have acquired an increasing share of grocery markets, and in doing so, have increased their influence over suppliers – what food is grown and how it is processed and packaged – with impacts reaching deep into the lives and livelihoods of farmers and workers worldwide.”

By promoting their healthy supplier relationships it’s a win-win. The campaign, of course, alleviates the brand as a leader in ‘good business’ and allows their own brand labels to centre stage as the right choice for consumers. 

Sainsbury's Chief Executive Simon Roberts said, “Our Next Level Sainsbury’s strategy is about giving customers more of what they come to Sainsbury’s for - outstanding value, unbeatable quality food and great service.”

Why does this make good business sense? According to Oxford University, “The promotion of their own brand products can be carried as part of their corporate promotional overhead, which implies substantial savings of indirect cost. Second, the closer control that supermarkets have over their own brand suppliers means that they can often achieve lower direct product costs too.” This, of course, will go a long way to bolster Sainsbury’s in the hotly contested supermarket price wars. 
‍

Meanwhile, Waitrose became the first UK retailer to partner with Tony’s Open Chain, an initiative started by Tony’s Chocolonely to end exploitation in the cocoa industry. The supermarket brand committed to sourcing cocoa through Tony’s Open Chain model for six Waitrose chocolate bars and three Cook’s ingredients bars.

Since Sainsbury’s hired New Commercial Arts a year ago, we’ve seen a well-considered collection of creative centred on the ‘Hey Sainsbury's' and now the ‘Good Food For All Of Us’ pledge. 

There was the Rick Astley Christmas ad, the first to feature real-life Sainsbury’s employees. The 60-second ad was amongst the £9.5bn UK brands spent on advertising in the run-up to Christmas. It was carried by a series of 20-second films that focused on different elements of the season. 

On the ad, Emma Bisley, Head of Campaigns at Sainsbury’s, said, “We wanted to create an advert that champions our colleagues all over the country, as well as highlighting the innovation of this year’s Taste the Different range.”

Ogilvy is Sainsbury’s long-term creative partner. Johnny Watters, Exec Creative Director commented, “By tapping into the combined power of behavioural science and social listening…[we are] truly delivering on the brand promise of ‘Good food for all of us’.”

Claire Balding stars in ‘Spring Fresh’. It’s the latest, spring edition of New Commercial Art’s third instalment of the ‘Good Food For All Of Us’ series. The Jam’s 1980 hit Start offers a fitting backdrop to the brand’s pledge. 
‍

‍

Lyrics It's not important for you to know my name. Nor I to know yours…What you give is what you get offers up a juxtaposition of what the supermarket is zealous in doing for their supply chain. It works well.

Climate Change Author Paul Brannen wrote on X alongside an image of Sainsbury’s new OOH billboard: “I hope this is true but the customer has no real way of knowing until we have the equivalent of the Fairtrade Mark for UK produce. Why don’t we have it? I’m sure it would be well-supported like ⁦Fairtrade is.  

The chips are down. Now let’s wait for other British supermarkets to respond by emphasising their contributions to the planet, animal welfare, and the community.

Sainsbury’s released its 2024 annual report on 25th April. Figures show group sales for 23/24 amounted to £36,337m versus £35,157m for 22/23 - a 3.4% increase. 

For further reading, see Provocation, Comfort & Sustainable Design — How to Know When to Dare According to Katee Hui.‍

To read the full Oxford University paper, click here.